“It’s not always easy”
Ski jumping Olympic champion worries about the World Cup starting place
22.09.2025 – 12:26 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
Austria is one of the top nations in ski jumping. Several athletes shone last season. Now the World Cup squad has probably been determined-and an Olympic champion is out for the time being.
The Austrians were the dominant nation in ski jumping last season. Daniel Tschofenig not only won the four -hill tour, but also the overall World Cup. Places two and three took its compatriots Jan Hörl and Stefan Kraft. Also at the summer grand prix in Predazzo last weekend, ÖSV-eagle Manuel Fettner was in second place on the big hill. Hörl and Tschofenig won the double victory on the normal hill. The coach of the Österericher, Andreas Widhölzl, must therefore make important decisions regarding the upcoming World Cup season.
Who can do it in the World Cup squad? Who has to tremble and who misses participation? The chief coach has to clarify these questions – and apparently has drawn first conclusions. After the summer Grand Prix in Predazzo, Widhölzl told the Austrian “Kurier”: “I think we are very well on the road.” With a view to his difficult decisions, he added: “That has been with us for years now and is actually a luxury problem. But it’s not always easy.”
According to the “Kurier”, the head coach has already awarded the available six world cups. Accordingly, the best three of the past season are very surprising: Tschofenig, Hörl and strength. In addition, Fettner and Maximilian Ortner get the chance to compete with the best in the world. The latter is 23 years old and took eleventh place in the overall World Cup last season.
The sixth starting place goes to Stephan Embacher. The 19-year-old defended his title at the Junior World Cup in February and therefore a secure World Cup ticket. He is the Austrian Holding of the Future. But also means: Daniel Huber, team Olympic champion from 2022, is currently going empty-handed and has to prove itself over the summer continental cup. Huber missed the past season because of a knee injury, but is back.
If Austria belongs to the nations in the summer continental cup that make the best three jumpers in the overall ranking, another World Cup ticket would be added. But not only Huber wants to achieve this, but also Niklas Bachlinger. He currently leads the overall ranking in the summer Grand Prix and has ambitions for the World Cup as well as 32-year-old Clemens Aigner.
Widhölzl made it clear: “The Austrian jumper, who jumps out the additional starting place, will also start in the World Cup. We always kept it that way.” So the fight for the last ticket is running.